Humanization of Caliban

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices,
That, if I then had wak’d after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I wak’d
I cried to dream again.

How does Shakespeare humanize/show another side of Caliban?

Allegra and Capucine

In the Tempest, written by Shakespeare, he uses a number of humanizing devices to repaint Caliban’s image as an emotional and desireful person. In the beginning of his play Caliban, Prospero’s slave, is portrayed as being monstrous. In addition, he is dehumanized and penalized by many other characters. Being thought of as an emotionless creature, we are shown a different side of Caliban on page 93 line 127-135. Shakespeare emphasizes Caliban’s true nature through connotation, enjambment, and diction of emotion. At the end of Caliban’s monologue (line 135) he states “I cried to dream again.” This indicates that Caliban experiences real emotions such as sadness and sorrow. These feelings are amplified by the enjambment preceding this citation. Furthermore, Shakespeare humanized Caliban through a structure composed of verses. When a character speaks in verse, it highlights education, and nobility. Moreover, strong emotions can be seen in verses. Caliban speaks through verse to emphasise his true opinions. The diction of “sleep” and “dreams” both show more examples of Caliban’s sentiments; this highlights that he desires and has aspirations just like a human.. Shakespeare also writes “sweet”, “cried”, “delight” and “hurt” which are all adjectives of feelings, showing the audience that Caliban is now being humanized by Shakespeare. In conclusion, Shakespeare uses many literary techniques including connotations, enjambments, hyperboles, and diction to show that Caliban has evolved from being a “monsterous slave” to a strong human full of desires, aspirations, and sentiments.

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